Hearings on the nomination of federal Judge Neil Gorsuch to the United States Supreme Court begin today in Washington.

A Nebraska senator will sit in judgment.

Sen. Ben Sasse, a member of the Judiciary Committee, calls Neil Gorsuch a judge’s judge, a model of what the founders would want in a judge.

Sasse says he’s excited about his nomination.

“And he absolutely should be confirmed and I’m confident that he will be confirmed,” Sasse tells Nebraska Radio Network in an interview. “How he ends up getting confirmed could be a bloody battle for a little while and that’s unfortunate.”

Gorsuch, 49, has served on the 10th United States Circuit Court of Appeals based in Denver since 2006. He was appointed by President George W. Bush. Gorsuch also served in the Justice Department during Bush’s presidency.

President Donald Trump has nominated him to fill the vacancy created when Justice Antonin Scalia died in February of last year.

Republicans control the Senate and are expected to confirm Gorsuch. Republicans used their majority status last year to ignore the choice of President Barack Obama to replace Scalia, never taking up the nomination of Merrick Garland, 63, the Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia. Democrats accused Senate Republicans of failing to do their job. The Supreme Court has operated with a vacancy for more than a year.

Sasse, a Republican, expects Democrats and interest groups to mount an aggressive opposition to Gorsuch’s confirmation.

“Obviously, there are some advocacy groups that are opposing Judge Gorsuch,” Sasses says. “I can’t fully figure out why. They presume to know his policy preferences. I’ve read a lot of his opinions and I can’t figure out his policy preferences on anything.”

Sasse expects the Gorsuch nomination to hit the Senate floor in early April, after confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee which could run the next two weeks.